In their competition for rural health care dollars from a new federal fund, states are seeking money to bolster emergency services, address chronic diseases, and recruit and train more doctors and nurses.
Voters were giving the go-ahead Tuesday for the state to make stock market investments with payroll taxes collected for Washington’s new long-term care program.
The Tri-Cities' fully free health care provider has received a big lift to expand its ability to serve the mental health needs of its hundreds of clients.
Medicare open enrollment began Oct. 15 and is available through Dec. 7. During this time, those with Medicare can use this period to make changes to their plans and coverage options for the year ahead.
Dr. Saravanan Kasturi, medical director of Northwest Endovascular Surgery in Richland, said private practices like his are struggling in part because Medicare reimbursements have not kept up with the cost of providing services, resulting in a loss of many procedures and patients having to instead visit hospitals.
With many patients treated at its hospital and emergency rooms struggling to get in with providers after being discharged, the region’s biggest health care system has established an outpatient clinic to ensure those patients are cared for following that transition.
The program will provide qualifying states with at least $100 million per year for five years but Washington is slated to lose between $30 billion and $50 billion in federal Medicaid funds over the next 10 years, leading to the closure of 14 rural hospitals. The application for the Rural Health Transformation Program is due Nov. 5 with awards expected by the end of the year.
The roughly 300,000 Washingtonians who buy health insurance through the state’s online marketplace are set for a rude awakening as they begin shopping for plans.
Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s therapy services are cutting staff, as the regional hospital in Richland follows staffing reductions made at other Providence facilities in response to financial pressures.
